1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to weather broadcasting and display systems, and more particularly to a three-dimensional weather display and weathercast system utilizing real-time three-dimensional representations of meteorological data including radar gathered data combined with geographical data for television broadcasts of simulated weather patterns in three dimensions.
2. Technical Background
For many years people have relied on weather broadcasts to help plan their lives. According to Robert Henson in his book, Television Weathercasting: A History, weather xe2x80x9cconsistently ranks as the top draw in both local and national news (when featured in the latter).xe2x80x9d According to a poll conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 1980, weather was xe2x80x9cthe major reason that people watch the news programs.xe2x80x9d
The field of meteorology has seen significant technological advances in the past few years. New and innovative devices such as Doppler radar, thunderstorm detectors, and wind and temperature profilers have all helped meteorologists better understand and predict weather.
However, despite public interest and technological advances, the weather display seen by television viewers has not changed significantly over the years. In nearly all television broadcasts, weather data is presented as a flat, 2-D (two-dimensional) map overlay. In the mid 1970""s, xe2x80x9ccolor-radarxe2x80x9d was introduced, which differentiates areas of precipitation using a color-coding scheme. Patches of heavy rain, snow or hail are all depicted the same way: in red. Lighter areas of precipitation are represented in varying shades of yellow, green or blue.
The typical current weathercast display represents the weather symbolically rather than realistically and usually only shows the general air temperature and the location of precipitation. In some instances, a superimposed satellite display of fluffy cloud patterns is shown moving along over the flat map from an exaggerated height observation point. The xe2x80x9cblue screenxe2x80x9d display behind the announcer still usually shows the familiar two-dimensional patchwork rainfall amounts in red, yellow, green and blue. The satellite imagery displayed on the evening broadcast may be anywhere from a half-hour to four hours old.
Also significant is the information that is absent from the conventional weathercast display, such as: (1) the type of precipitation, (2) the strength and location of wind shear, (3) the presence of tornadic signatures showing rapid circular motion, (4) the location of updraft vault, (5) the location of wall clouds, (6) the location of heavy lightning activity, and (7) the wind direction on the ground.
The National Weather Service has a network of advanced S-Band radar stations in place at 138 sites in the United States, and is capable of delivering 77 different products to government meteorologists. These products include; winds aloft, lightning activity and wind shear conditions, such as microburst activity. However, of these 77 products, only 11 are commercially available through contract with several private weather service companies which act as intermediaries between the National Weather Service and the public. These companies charge for the use of these eleven products and, in order to receive the latest radar (NEXRAD) information from a particular site, a private individual or company pays a monthly fee to receive the radar signal.
There are several patents, which disclose various systems of three-dimensional representation of topographical data and meteorological data for pilots and flight simulators used in pilot training.
Manelphe, U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,609 discloses an optoelectric system of assistance in attack and navigational missions which provides a three-dimensional localization of a point of interest for a navigational resetting operation or for a firing control operation.
Yen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,397 discloses a 3-D weather simulation system used with a four-channel digital radar landmass simulator (DRLMS) for flight simulators which integrates culture, elevation, aspect, and weather. Weather maps can be loaded into the system as weather patterns and can be expanded, rotated, and translated. Weather mass is simulated in three dimensions, i.e., having a bottom and height. Implementation entails the full or partial occultation of terrain and targets by weather, and vice versa.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,583,972 issued to Miller describes a weathercasting system for displaying weather radar information in 3D, such that the viewer can simulate moving through the system to visualize the effects of a weather system at various geographical locations. Miller allows for the combination of data from multiple weather sources, but states that his weather images will be at least 20 minutes old by the time they are broadcast. This time delay is due in large part to the variety of weather data sources utilized by Miller, which cause delays both in receiving and assimilating the information.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by providing a weather-casting system for displaying dynamic real time three-dimensional pictorial representations of weather conditions created from meteorological data combined with geographical data. Meteorological data including precipitation, cloud cover data, the bottom and top of cloud formations, and reflectivity and velocity of rain droplets in real-time are acquired from C-band Doppler radar, which is combined with NEXRAD data, and the data is digitized and processed to produce a simulated, graphically displayable three-dimensional image of the meteorological data. The meteorological data is combined with the geographical data and displayed on a computer display screen, and manipulated by peripheral devices connected with the computer. The combined data is displayed as a three-dimensional graphical representation of weather conditions relative to a selective geographical area. The graphical representation can be manipulated to allow the viewer to visualize the effects of the weather system at various geographical locations, and from various angles. The graphical representation will also provide full volumetric data of the storm, allowing the user to xe2x80x9cslicexe2x80x9d the storm to view cross sections from various angles, and from various positions, including viewing the storm and a cross section from within the storm itself.
One problem associated with combining NEXRAD data with real-time Doppler radar data is the time delay. NEXRAD data is typically updated only once every five or six minutes, whereas TV station Doppler radar data is practically instantaneous. If the user is to present a full 3D volumetric model of a storm system, then the model would need to be at least six minutes old to make use of the NEXRAD data. However, the present invention provides means for utilizing all of the NEXRAD data as it is available to match the real-time Doppler radar data. The NEXRAD data combined with the real-time Doppler radar provides an approximation of the entire volumetric data of the storm in real time.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a 3-D weather display system utilizing real-time, three-dimensional representations of combined meteorological data including Doppler radar data and NEXRAD data for television broadcasts of simulated weather patterns.
It is another object of this invention to provide a 3D weather display system, wherein NEXRAD data is extrapolated forward in time for combination with real-time Doppler radar data. The combined data is then used to provide an approximation of real-time weather data in full volumetric 3D display.